The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically loading an optical disk such as CD (i.e. Compact Disk), DVD (i.e. Digital Video Disk) or the like in a plastic case. More specifically, it relates to a structural improvement for downsizing the apparatus.
The assignee to the present application proposed an optical disk loading machine for automatically loading an optical disk in a case, as shown in Japanese patent application publication No. 2001-48118.
This optical disk loading apparatus is comprised of a case unloading and supplying device to unload a case from a case stacking station where a plurality of closed cases are stacked upstandingly and to supply the case to a case conveyor, a case opening device to open the case into a flat, developed state, and an optical disk loading device to load an optical disk into the case.
In operation, a case that has been supplied to the case conveyor by the case unloading and supplying device is placed lyingly or horizontally on the conveying surface of the case conveyor. The case is transferred to the case opening device in the next process with its lying state maintained, as shown in FIG. 1 of the publication No. 2001-48118.
Also, it is not clearly shown in the publication, but an examining device is provided at a backward position of the optical disk loading device to examine whether the optical disk is loaded in the case or not.
In another prior art optical disk loading apparatus, which loads two optical disks in a case, there are provided a first optical disk loading device to load a first optical disk and a second optical disk loading device to load a second optical disk, which are placed on the same side of the case conveyor.
Thus, the length of the conventional optical disk loading apparatus is long along the case conveying direction. A need therefore exists to reduce the size of the apparatus by shortening the whole length of the apparatus.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk loading apparatus that can shorten the whole length of the apparatus to make the apparatus compact.